Tuesday – March 7, 2023
One of the first things I did today was to check the tire pressure on both the spare tire, which is mounted on the trailer, and the regular tire which is stowed where the spare is normally mounted. All tire pressures are nominal and that’s great news; we got the tire issue behind us. So I can monitor the pressure, I reinstall the TPMS (Tire Pressure Management System) Bluetooth Sensor; it screws on the end of the valve and is about the size of two stacked lifesavers.
Trice and Jim live in Apalachicola, about 15 minutes west of Eastpoint, we head there for a visit. After hugs and catching up some, Trice takes us on a tour of the neighborhood on her golf cart. She’s very knowledgeable about the ‘goings on’ and we make our way to Lafayette Park and stroll out on the fishing pier to pose for a quick pic with sis. She knows just about everyone we cross paths with and she’s quick to say hello to all. We had a lovely visit.
That evening, Trice and Jim treated us to dinner at The Owl, it’s a very nice restaurant downtown and we all had a great meal. The service was great and Trice, again, knows almost everyone.
Wednesday – March 8, 2023
W
e head back to Apalachicola for more visiting and shopping downtown. Earlier this morning, 
Trice headed to the Farmers Market and picked up some gifts for Mag and I ♥; some beautiful greens and Tupelo honey. On our golf cart ride downtown we stop by Mel’s home for a quick introduction. We end up chatting for 15 minutes and we enjoyed meeting Mel, he’s a very nice southern gentleman. He and Jim have worked together on many projects in the Apalachicola area together. I mentioned we were heading downtown for a tour and he says, “Well, that won’t take long.” I responded saying, “That’s exactly what Jim said!” Well, the tour didn’t take long and we enjoyed visiting a number of the shops and boutiques. After our tour of downtown, we headed back to the house, sat on the front porch for a nice visit. Fe and her husband Jim stopped by. Fe and Trice worked together at the Weems Memorial Hospital for quite a few years and have become good friends. We’ve heard a lot about Fe over the years and it was so nice to meet her and her husband.
Thursday – March 9, 2023
Today we are heading to Brunswick, GA for a quick stop (1 night), then off to Fayetteville, NC. First chore this 
morning is to check everything to be sure we’re ready to go. I had installed the TPMS Sensor on the left rear tire Tuesday and this morning the Bluetooth sensor is not connecting. This happens more than I like, probably more than it should, so crawl under the slide-out to reconnect the sensor and check the pressure. The sensor monitors the air pressure and temperature of the tire and will warn you if either of those specs go outside the preset limits. And from the, “you’ll never believe it,” or “why is this happening to us,” the tire is completely flat. I mean completely flat, it has lost it’s bead, the bond between the rim and the tire.
I inform Mag of our situation and we quickly work on developing a plan to get the tire repaired but we also have to consider options if we are unable to leave the campground; checkout is at eleven. We started tracking down tire shops, some are closed, some and hour away. A couple nearby, one is closed and the second can get us in at 1:30. We considering traveling an hour to get it repaired up in Crawfordville. Mag contacted the campground office to explain our situation, they are fully booked tonight so we can’t stay here. Now we’re trying to find another campground nearby, in the event we are in need.
The original tire is mounted where the spare normally is and I remove it. Then I remove the spare, which is the left rear tire, and install the original tire. Trice stopped by this morning so we could say our goodbyes and was able to track down a repair shop in Carrabelle, about a 15 minute drive. I speak with Angel at Neel Automotive and she says, “we’ll get you in.” We head to Carrabelle and the shop looks very busy, a mechanic is working on a vehicle outside and the three bays all look occupied. We explain to Angel our situation and checkout time at the 
campground, blah, blah, blah. “We’ll get right on it,” she says and shortly after that, Jimmy appears and retrieves the tire out of the back of the truck. We a bit anxious, as you can imagine, but in not a half hour, Jimmy rolls the tire out and says, “All set, no leaks, I changed the valve stem.” We’re so grateful and relieved Mag slips Jimmy a tip and we head into the office to settle up. Angel informs us the repair will be $20 and we can’t thank her enough for their speedy response in our time of need.
It’s now eleven o’clock, and we head back to the campground to get the spare tire stored, complete packing up, hitch up and get on the road. To our disbelief, we are on the road a little after noon, happy we did not have to extend our stay, which would impact our plans upstream. We’re on our way to Brunswick, GA. Trice texted us and said we should listen to this on our drive.
The tire situation we have been chasing for awhile is finally resolved, we’re pretty sure. We have deduced that the TPMS sensor is somehow loosening or damaging the valve stem, resulting in air leaking out. Shortly after purchasing the truck but before delivery, we ordered a kit Ford that contained a Rear Camera that would be mounted on the back of the trailer with a long cable back to the truck. This camera integrates with the camera system in the truck so, no extra monitor, which allows us to see what is behind us when backing up with the trailer; it’s very helpful. The kit also contains a TPMS monitoring system for the trailer tires that integrates with the Truck TPMS system so, all the data is right on the dashboard, very convenient. We elected not to use the TPMS initially because these sensors are installed inside the tire which means someone would have to dismount each tire, install the sensor, then remount each tire. We figured we would have these sensors installed when we replace the tires. It is recommended that RV tires be discarded after 5 years, or so, regardless of mileage. Why you ask. It’s because, over time, the rubber degrades, dries out, cracks, etc. When we get home, I am going to make arrangements to have the sensors installed.
The drive up to Brunswick is uneventful and it’s just a quick overnight. We arrived at 6:00 PM, it was still light out, thankfully. We set up, eat some grub and then off to bed. What a day!
Friday – March 10, 2023
Check out is at eleven so after breakfast, we begin packing up, hitching up and pulling out, it’s shortly after eleven. The drive to Fayetteville is also uneventful and we’re grateful, we arrived shortly after five. The only issue was a few eggs got loose but sometimes you have to crack a few eggs, 😉 and a little rain. We set up, ate dinner, breathed a sigh of relief and off to bed. We’ll spend a few days here visiting with Denise, Dennis, Amber, Evan and Jeanne.
So happy you all could make it here. Looking forward to next year. xo Trice